From reading the book, I'd say it's not love, but lust. ***Spoiler alert*** I have no problem with 'predictable', but I do have a problem with Laurent and his attitude that he'll never fall in love again, proposing marriage to Emma as the perfect solution to their situation, then suddenly he's in love with Emma. His behavior toward the British nanny, Emma, is nothing short of rude and ill-mannered. That only makes him spend more time away from them, rather than stepping up and being a father. He buries himself in his work, resulting in his children being out of control. He doesn't bond with his son because his wife died giving birth to the child. As it stands now, Laurent comes across as a self-absorbed jerk. I really felt this needed a little more plot/character development. Laurent isn't about to drop his guard and let Emma work her magic-and it doesn’t help that she finds this dark, brooding man incredibly attractive… The kids and the dog are easy-all they need are routines and love. When she arrives at River Bend and finds two small motherless children, a miserable pet and a man who’s placed his emotions in the deep-freeze, she realizes she’s joined a broken family and it will be down to her to put it back together again. But maybe there is a solution that won’t demand any emotional input from him: hire a female to whip his turbulent household back into shape.Įmma Peabody is a British nanny, looking for a new life in the New World.

His kids are running wild, and his dog is acting crazy he’s been finding it tough to juggle everything since his wife died, and run his successful custom-built furniture business. Laurent Fletcher has to admit his life would be a whole heap better if there was woman in it.

The Unexpected Bride by Joanne Walsh